The Centre for International Governance Innovation has selected six emerging scholars from across Canada to address urgent policy questions at the intersection of quantum technologies and national security. Funded by the Department of National Defence’s Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security program, the four-month Quantum Nexus Emerging Scholars Program begins this September and will focus on the complex relationship between scientific advancement and safeguarding critical interests.
“The questions that quantum technologies raise for Canada sit where science, law, security and industrial policy meet,” says CIGI Senior Fellow Mauritz Kop, “and they will be settled by whoever thinks about them most carefully.” These scholars, chosen for their “intellectual range and independence of judgment,” will contribute directly to policy research with implications for Canada’s innovation ecosystem.
Quantum Nexus Program Launches with Six Canadian Scholars
The inaugural cohort of the Quantum Nexus Emerging Scholars Program begins its intensive four-month research period this September, focusing on the intersection of quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and national security. This concentrated timeframe, concluding in December 2026, signals an urgent push to address the complex challenges posed by rapidly advancing quantum capabilities. CIGI selected the scholars not only for their academic backgrounds, spanning international affairs, global security, medicine, computer science, and emergency management, but also for specific qualities of critical thought.
The program’s structure includes one-on-one mentorship from Kop, who also founded Stanford RQT (Responsible Quantum Technology), alongside participation in an international expert workshop on October 21, 2026, and a masterclass on emerging technology governance scheduled for November 4, 2026. Each scholar will produce an analytical note on a specific subtopic, ultimately contributing to a larger CIGI report detailing the project’s findings.
Research areas encompass post-quantum cryptography migration, dual-use technologies and export controls, and the challenges of balancing national security with open scientific collaboration. This work builds upon Kop’s prior research, including the article The Nexus of Quantum Technology, Intellectual Property, and National Security and the CIGI policy brief Global Quantum Governance: From Principles to Practice, co-authored with CIGI Research Director Tracey Forrest. The program’s opening expert panel, The Quantum Nexus: A Framework for Canadian Strategic Advantage in a Contested Domain, is open to the public, reflecting a commitment to transparency and broader engagement with these issues.
The questions that quantum technologies raise for Canada sit where science, law, security and industrial policy meet, and they will be settled by whoever thinks about them most carefully.
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